Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has inaugurated 50 compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered buses and unveiled a N1bn empowerment fund for 5,000 women in Edo State to help ease the effects of fuel subsidy removal.
The initiatives are designed to reduce transportation costs, support women-owned businesses and expand economic opportunities.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mrs Tinubu said President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to cushioning the impact of subsidy removal was reflected in interventions aimed at improving Nigerians’ welfare.
She stressed the importance of affordable transportation to students, traders, workers and other commuters, noting that the CNG buses would offer residents an alternative amid rising transport costs.
“Behind every bus is a human story. There is a student who needs to get to school. There is a trader who needs to get to the market. There is a civil servant going to work. That is why today’s event is a story of renewed hope,” she said.
The First Lady also highlighted employment opportunities in the CNG sector, urging the Edo State Government to invest in technical training for young people to prepare them for jobs as technicians, engineers, drivers, mechanics and fleet managers.
The N1bn empowerment fund is expected to support 5,000 women by strengthening small businesses, improving household incomes and increasing women’s participation in economic activities.
Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, and his Kogi State counterpart, Ahmed Usman Ododo, commended President Tinubu’s economic reforms and pledged to sustain programmes addressing residents’ needs.
Okpebholo said the buses would lower transportation costs and ease commuters’ financial burden. He also reaffirmed his administration’s support for the President and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Director of Women Mobilisation of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Betta Edu, also praised the President and First Lady for their interventions to mitigate the effects of subsidy removal and improve women’s welfare.
Edu described the CNG buses as a practical measure to ease transportation costs while creating employment opportunities for young Nigerians.
She said the N1bn empowerment fund could strengthen women-owned businesses, raise household incomes and expand economic opportunities at the grassroots.
Edu also reaffirmed the directorate’s commitment to mobilising women across the 774 local government areas in support of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
During a visit to the palace of the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, the First Lady highlighted key interventions of the Renewed Hope Initiative and commended the monarch for his contributions to Edo State and Nigeria.
